Bruce Katherine, Dyer Katherine, Mathews Michael, Nealley Catharine, Phasukkan Tiffany, Prichard Ashley, Galizio Mark
University of North Carolina Wilmington, 601 S. College Rd., Wilmington, NC, 28403, USA.
University of North Carolina Wilmington, 601 S. College Rd., Wilmington, NC, 28403, USA.
Behav Processes. 2018 Oct;155:26-32. doi: 10.1016/j.beproc.2017.07.003. Epub 2017 Jul 13.
There is a growing body of research on matching- and non-matching-to-sample (MTS, NMTS) relations with rats using olfactory stimuli; however, the specific characteristics of this relational control are unclear. In the current study we examine MTS and NMTS in rats with an automated olfactometer using a successive (go, no-go) procedure. Ten rats were trained to either match- or non-match-to-sample with common scents (apple, cinnamon, etc.) as olfactory stimuli. After matching or non-matching training with four odorants, rats were tested for transfer twice with four new odorants on each test. Most rats trained on MTS showed immediate transfer to new stimuli, and most rats trained on NMTS showed full transfer by the second set of new odors. After meeting criterion on the second transfer test, the contingencies were reversed with four new odor stimuli such that subjects trained on matching were shifted to non-matching and vice versa. Following these reversed contingencies, the effects of the original training persisted for many trials with new odorants. These data extend previous studies on same-different concept formation in rats, showing strong generalization requiring few exemplars. The critical role of olfactory stimuli is discussed.
关于使用嗅觉刺激让大鼠建立匹配和非匹配样本（MTS、NMTS）关系的研究越来越多；然而，这种关系控制的具体特征尚不清楚。在当前研究中，我们使用连续（去、不去）程序，通过自动嗅觉计对大鼠的MTS和NMTS进行研究。十只大鼠被训练用常见气味（苹果、肉桂等）作为嗅觉刺激进行匹配或非匹配样本任务。在用四种气味剂进行匹配或非匹配训练后，大鼠在每次测试中用四种新气味剂进行两次转移测试。大多数接受MTS训练的大鼠立即转移到新刺激上，大多数接受NMTS训练的大鼠在第二组新气味时表现出完全转移。在第二次转移测试达到标准后，用四种新的气味刺激物反转条件，使得接受匹配训练的受试者转向非匹配，反之亦然。在这些反转条件之后，原始训练的效果在使用新气味剂的许多试验中持续存在。这些数据扩展了先前关于大鼠异同概念形成的研究，表明强烈的泛化只需要很少的范例。文中讨论了嗅觉刺激的关键作用。
